


Wings

by ArkoftheOutlaws



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fictional Country, Gen, Original work - Freeform, Wish me luck, kinda historical fiction, no spoilers but I’m a plane nerd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArkoftheOutlaws/pseuds/ArkoftheOutlaws
Summary: Follow the life of Swift Ivashta, a girl from a small country with a big dream. Come along as she faces family rivalries, loss, and the trials of modern tensions.





	1. Chapter 1: Childhood Fun Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Great goodness help me. I’m reposting this work from my other account on Wattpad and I don’t know how much the Archive’s formatting will hate me for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halp! Formatting is hard!

The sun's rays were warm upon the tall wheat strands outside a small but charming home in the Leketuian countryside. There, a cry was heard. A beautiful baby girl had been born on this glowing summer afternoon in 1994. Inside this single-room home was a mother holding her little brown-haired baby. "She looks just like you," her husband, Somalia Ivashta, whispered. The mother, Marina, nodded and pressed the infant close to her heart."I know what we'll call her. We shall name her Swift. I sense she has a quick mind within her, just like her great grandfather."

* * *

 

Swift, now five years and counting, played outside in the fields. She lived in a farming town and, although the neighbors were far away across the farmland, it was a very tight-knit community. The little Ivashta hurried on tiny legs after her friend, Lillya Samornek. They'd known each other for as long as they both could remember, which albeit wasn't very long.

"Can't catch me!" Lillya goaded.

Swift was getting tired, but was determined. I must tag her, she thought, or else she'll get dibs on my snack at school again! She felt the grass blades, which went way over her head, hit her arms and legs as she ran. The cold wind was refreshing on her face. Her amber eyes glinted in the comforting sunlight of a newly-dawning autumn. Lillya felt herself grow tired, so she stopped to catch her breath. Swift, also out of breath but more persistent, forged ahead. She reached out her skinny arm and.... Lillya got away.

They chased each other like this under the bright sky growing dimmer. As the sun set, they both heard a delicate but audible bell from the Ivashta household. The two girls looked each other in the eye and nodded. They tore up the hill as fast as their bare feet would carry them across the earth. They raced.

Swift glided across the ground like a graceful deer, and won the race. It was a close call.

Swift's mother smiled. "You girls sit down and rest now. Did you have fun?" She said kindly.

Swift nodded, already taking some bread from a loaf on the table.

Lillya recounted the events. "We ran and Swift almost got me but I was too quick for her and then she tagged me near that creek by the woods and..." and she went on. Lillya was quite the talker.

"That's nice. How about you take this and go on home. I bet your parents are worried sick about you." Marina took a few slices of a pie she was making and gingerly gave them to Lillya. "Use two hands, now. You don't want to drop it. And save some for the rest of your family. I know how much you love my peepla pie."*  Lillya smiled and went along her merry way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Peepli, plural of peepla, were a fruit native to the Leketuian island. They grew like apples, looking like blue—or occasionally pink—peaches, had the meat of an apple, but had a uniquely strawberry-like taste. They were common in the area, as Leketuian as apple pies are American.)
> 
> The Archive denied the original formatting. I’m not surprised. This story starts off slow but gets better.


	2. Chapter 2: Brotherly Love and Ⱡeks

"Mui tree heetya v l' Orient... Tao das mui go nyekov... Auk y aqua, auk y montec! Gao v l' Estra..." the Ivashtas sang throughout the house. They were singing We Three Kings in Leketuian.

Joining the usual trio of Swift, Somalia, and Marina, were the brothers Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. They were Swift's uncles on her mother's side. Her father came from a rival family, the Cartovkas. They never joined the Christmas celebrations. It was almost Christmas, evident from the snow covering the ground outside. The atmosphere inside was warm from a fireplace, if not crackling with tension. The two K's disliked each other very, very much. Swift sensed this immediately and thought it a good idea to try and have them get along. Her efforts were in vain.

 

The five sat down at the modest dining table. Somalia sat at the head, with Marina to his right and Swift to his left. Beside Swift was the older brother Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan begrudgingly took the spot across from him, next to Marina. Mrs. Ivashta got up and served a golden-brown roasted turkey.

Somalia licked his lips in anticipation. "It looks delicious, dear. Let's dig in."

He carved it. Swift was given a leg, her favorite part of the turkey. They began eating. "So, what's the situation out West?" Somalia asked the twins.

Kazakhstan answered. "Alcazar's being a giant pain. He's trying to sue my company because he thinks it's some sort of money laundering scheme, which it isn't!" Kyrgyzstan rolled his amber eyes.

"That old Cartovka's got you this time, you idiot. If your business goes down the toilet, I can inherit our dad's fortune and give it to this fine family here. Just imagine what a billion Ⱡeks would do for these folks."

Swift's eyes widened, her mind racing. ‘A BILLION ⱠEKS! That's like... at least a million dollars!’

Somalia was equally shocked. "You mean to say we might have a billion Ⱡeks to our name? That's... That changes everything..." he went speechless. Marina left them to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Ⱡek is Leketuian currency. One Ⱡek equals about two American dollars.


	3. Chapter 3: The Silver Lining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now things are picking up. I’ll post three more chapters tomorrow.

On her tenth birthday, something happened. A great spectacle was brought to Leketu, specifically in the large metropolitan area of Auksura, Auksura. It was four years after the turn of the 21st century. Technology around the world was booming, particularly in a certain field. On this day, the Leketuian masses were to be treated to something never beheld before.

* * *

 

Swift was out sitting by the creek that runs near her house. She and Lillya were skipping pebbles. They felt it first. A deep rumble. Are we having an earthquake?! Swift felt fear course through her. Then curiosity. She knew earthquakes were extremely rare in Leketu. Suddenly, a thunderous boom roared overhead.

Lillya looked up and gasped. "Swift, look!" She pointed to the sky.

Swift's gaze followed hers. Two giant silver birds soared overhead. Except, they weren't birds. They were planes. Jets. Great fighters! Swift felt a strange feeling in her stomach as she watched them. An excitement that shook her to her core. Pure happiness.

"HELLO!!!" She yelled and tried in vain to flag them down, leaping and flailing her arms wildly over her head.

Lillya giggled, happy to see Swift happy. Then Swift got an idea. I'll chase them down! She decided. And she did so, sprinting over the fields on excited legs. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, keeping her going.

It took almost half an hour to reach her goal: the jackpot of jets. The Auksuran International Airport, where there were many planes. Some larger than houses with broad wings and massive engines. She'd seen these in American movies. They were simple airliners. Others—the more exciting ones—were smaller. They were of shiny silver, with room for maybe one or two people inside. One such one was taking off. It's single engine was deafeningly loud and blue-hot flames shot out the back as exhaust. Swift felt like she was in heaven. There was a crowd of people gathered on the unused parts of the tarmac. She blended in with them. Lillya managed to catch up to her now-hyper companion.

"Swift, what is this place?" She asked. Swift looked her in the eyes, her own wide with wonder.

"I don't know but I like it!" She dashed off again, true to her name. She ran right into someone's leg.

He looked down at her. "You okay?" He asked in an American accent.

Swift gazed up at him, taking it all in. He had an unusual outfit. It was like a sort of army green jumpsuit. He had a pair of wings embroidered on the left side of his chest, and strange patches on his upper arms. Then Swift noticed one of Them right next to him. It towered over her. The bottom of the silver nose barely brushed the top of her head. She was inches from the massive jet-powered beast of a plane.

The man noticed her enthusiasm. "You like it? That there's an F/A-18 Super Hornet. It's a pretty new machine. This is actually one of the first they ever made. Wanna see inside?" He smiled.

She nodded her head quickly. Of course I do! She said in her mind, but was made physically speechless by her sheer awe of the thing. He showed her to a ladder that extended from a sort of extended portion of the wing that stretched almost to the nose. She climbed it, shaking with adrenaline. Inside was a single seat, which she sat in, and a large set of buttons, nobs, switches, and dials. There were also three things that resembled computer screens. In front of that, between her knees, was a black stick that also had some buttons on it. She put her hand on it and moved it to the left. She heard parts of the plane move behind her. She did that to the right. Still, parts moved. She turned her focus to a smaller, wider pair of sticks on her left side. She touched it and felt more buttons on it. So many buttons. She thought. It must take forever to learn what they do. She got a feeling that she shouldn't move those sticks, so she didn't. She looked down at her feet, which were situated in openings underneath the panel of dials and screens. There were identical peddles at the bottom of the opening. One for each foot. She was too short to touch them yet. She felt like she could sit there forever, but unfortunately she couldn't. She got up, standing on the seat, and let the man help her down.

"Thanks! Really." She said, smiling the biggest grin her face could make. He smiled back, though more modestly, and sent her on her way.

Swift and Lillya stayed there, at what they soon learned was called an "airshow" until the jet's thunderous noise has become a nuisance for Lillya.

They arrived home at dusk. Lillya and Swift agreed to keep their expedition a secret to make it more special to them. Swift could only conclude one thing about their trip: she wanted to be around those jets forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place in the 1990’s and early 2000’s by the way.


	4. Chapter 4: Darkness

_She felt a pressure all around her. She couldn't see a thing. It was as if something was pinning her down; holding her still. It was almost impossible for her to take a breath. She panicked, trying to take in as much air as she could, but this proved difficult. She was suffocating. Dying. And yet, she felt no pain in her chest. No real need for air except that she knew she needed it. This naturally frightened and confused her. 'I must get out. I must get free!' Were the thoughts in her mind. She couldn't ignore the pain she felt in her body. An agonizing, searing pain. It was the worst in the back of her skull, as if something had burrowed itself into her brain. She felt more agony on the rest of her. It felt as if her entire being was throbbing, and it got worse the more she thought about it. She tried to stay rational and assess her situation. First, she must get out. It was pitch black, she couldn't hear a thing except her own pulse, and she couldn't move a muscle without pain or some unknown physical pressure in the way._

_She remained for days and days. Time felt slow. She should be feeling hunger... thirst... but didn't really. Then, she finally heard something: footsteps. They sounded as if they were above her. Then, a dull scratching that got louder and louder until..._

_Cold air... a soothing female voice..._

_**“It's okay. I am here to help you."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . .


	5. Good Ol’ Uncle Kazakhstan

About two years after her life-changing experience at the airshow, Swift experienced another life-changing event.

On Swift's twelfth birthday, the Ivashta residence had a visitor: Uncle Kazakhstan. Unusually, Kyrgyzstan was absent. Though they hated each other, they often traveled together. Kazakhstan came through the front door and immediately wanted to speak to Somalia. They went to a quiet corner in the kitchen to discuss whatever Kazakhstan had wanted to discuss. Swift, being the curious child she was, decided to eavesdrop on them. "Somalia, I don't think I can be part of this family anymore. Kyrgyzstan wants me to leave, and I understand why. I'm bringing shame to the great Ivashta name. But before I officially separate myself, I want to do something good for you." Kazakhstan said. He appeared solemn. Somalia was listening silently and attentively.

Kazakhstan continued, "I'd like to give you my share of mine and Kyrgyzstan's inheritance." This was shocking.

Somalia's eyes widened. "Th-that's very generous of you. What will you do without it?" He asked, but this was a foolish question. Kazakhstan was worth close to a million Ⱡeks without his inheritance. He had a pretty good relationship with the Leketuian mafia. Swift wondered how much this inheritance was worth, so naturally she asked her mother.

Marina was very obliging and replied, "Well, our ancestors were very famous musicians for the most part—other than your great grandfather. I'm sure their music money was passed down and probably amounts to about a couple billion Ⱡeks. Why do you ask?" Swift got a little nervous. Should she tell her mother the reason?

She chose to be honest. "Uncle Kazakhstan says he's gonna give us his inheritance 'cause he's leaving the family." She explained. Marina smiled, but only out of amusement.

She was a little skeptical. "Really? Let's see what they say first."

* * *

 

An hour later, the decision was made. Kazakhstan and Somalia tried to be discreet about it. Kazakhstan said goodbye and walked out. Marina looked at her husband, keeping Swift by her side.

He broke into a smile. "I love your uncle!" He hugged them, getting very excited.


	6. The News

Swift was out playing by the creek with Lillya. They were a little older now—almost teenagers. This didn't stop them from fooling around and trying to catch the little fish that swam in the creek. Lillya plunged her hand into the cold, crisp water and groped around for the feel of scales. She didn't find any. Swift tried next. She felt around and tried to spot the fish, but they were too tiny and quick to see easily. She couldn't find one either.

They continued their fishing until...

"Swift! Come inside!" Her mother called from the doorway.

Swift glanced at Lillya. "I guess I'll see you later." She got up and ran home.

* * *

 

Swift went inside. "Is it supper already?" She asked.

Her parents were both seated at the kitchen table, looking stern. She didn't get an answer. Instead, "Come sit." Her father invited, motioning to the seat next to him.

She sat down.

He began, "I'm not so sure if you're going to like this, but..."

Swift frowned. This can't be good.

"...but," he suddenly smiled. "We're going on vacation to New York City, America!"

Marina also smiled. "And, we're going to see a broadway musical. Isn't this all so exciting?" She said.

Swift was speechless. Then, she realized what this entailed for her. She was overcome with happiness. They noticed.

"See, Marina, I told you this'd be a good idea." Somalia mumbled to his wife.

Swift finally managed to speak somewhat calmly. "When are we going?"

"Next weekend."


End file.
